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Michael Mercer: teacher. writer. father. husband. follower.

Laughter

2/25/2016

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We mostly think about our character in the sense of what we must do right in this world.  How about the parts of character that simply make us who we are.  Laughter is one of those for me.  I love to laugh.  I love to make others laugh.  On my best days I have been full of laughter.  On my worst days I have struggled to smile, let alone let out even a forced chuckle.

This has shown up recently for me in all phases of my life.  I wish I could say that all the areas of my life have been filled with laughter.  But actually to the contrary I have struggled for laughter.  I've noticed it while I work.  I've noticed it with my kids.  I've noticed with my attempt at being a good husband.  I have been struggling to laugh.

Sometimes I think that we lose laughter because we quit looking for the humor and joy that is in everyday life.  Leah and I were talking recently about our kids and how we are doing with our parenting.  It seems we have had high stress in our house recently.  I remember saying to her, "I just want to spend more time laughing with my kids and less time redirecting their choices or behavior."  Laughter is a vital need for my life.

After that conversation a few weeks ago, I made a conscience choice to look for the joy, gratitude, and humor in the moments around me.  The result has been more laughter.  Leah and I were full of laughter this past Saturday as we drove 9 eight-year-old boys around town for Dylan and Brody's birthday party (this is an upcoming post).  It was absolutely a hoot to be with all of those boys.  

Even though laughter is an inherent part of my character, sometimes I still must go and look for it and allow myself the opportunity to laugh.  Again I love to laugh and to make others laugh.  And really this life is full of humor, joy, and life.  We should laugh much more!

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8 is enough

2/22/2016

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Today Dylan and Brody turn 8 years old.  It is hard to imagine that we have the honor of being their parents for 8 years.  They give us great joy and remind us of God's grace every moment of every day. I'm very proud of both my boys.  They work hard at school, enjoy different sports, treat people with love and care, and are sold out for living for Jesus.  They have such a bright future ahead of them and I cannot wait to see what God does through them for His kingdom purposes.  Even though they are twins they are unique and definitely God-designed.  I love watching them be best friends together, but always allowing others to join the group.  They are the best version of Leah and I and teach me daily what it means to love God and others.  I praise God for them and our family of 5!

Since the boys were born we have held a tradition where we pray the same prayer over them each night and every year on their birthday we add a phrase.  Here is their prayer with the 2016 addition.  They are already anticipating what the new phrase will be when we say prayers tonight.

Dear God:
Help Dylan and Brody to grow strong and healthy, follow you always, be your servant, live with great joy, and give you glory.  Help them to care for those in need, love their family deeply, and worship you with a glad and sincere heart.  May they be obedient to your Word.

In Jesus' name Amen!

I cannot wait to share this with them tonight and I cannot wait until they are 18 and see what the prayer will look like then.  But then again, I can wait!  They are only 8, but I feel many times that they were just born.  8 is enough, Dylan and Brody!  Stop growing up you guys, or else you will soon be leaving to go to college.  And while I want what is best for them and for them to grow in stature and wisdom before God and people, I also want to hold them a bit longer.  

We had a great party this past Saturday and today is the day where Leah, Brynn Leigh, and I get to spoil them and celebrate their day.

Happy Birthday Dylan and Brody!
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Genesis and Children

2/18/2016

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​For much of my life I thought of Genesis as the perfect book for children. It was great narrative and seemed to have such simple yet impactful stories.  And I guess that could be true.  But what do you do with Cain and Abel, the carnage of death from the flood, and countless stories of wickedness, sexual exploits, and outright defiance.  

It is one of those thoughts that I have heard other preachers mention.  It is one of those thoughts that I thought, yeah that's right, but its scripture and needs to be taught.  Then I began to teach 3 year olds through 4th grade the story of Cain and Abel.  As I read in my adult Bible I began to try to edit the text so it wouldn't be so PG-13 or really R.  

"Adam made love to his wife Eve..." (NIV)  -Oh Boy!

Do I really want to open up that topic for 3 year olds, when 4th graders are in the room.  The answer is no, btw!

"“Let’s go out to the field." While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him." (NIV) -ok I think we can handle that

Then this:  "
The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.  Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. (NIV) -the 2nd through 4th grade boys will love this, but do I really want this to be a focus or a distraction to the story?

And this was just being able to read the scripture.  This doesn't even cover the difficulty of talking about anger, murder, grace, mercy, offering, or exile.

We made it through the story that night and the children had great and insightful things to share in our circle.  But I was reminded once again that these cute, flannel graph stories I grew up with are really a heavy dose of reality of what it means to live in a world of brokenness and darkness, yet chasing after God's heart and trusting in his final perfection when all things will be set right.

If you haven't done this in a while, I challenge you to read Genesis again.  Look for the things you haven't seen before.  Think about how you would explain this to a 3 year old child or an 80 year old dedicated follower.  The word of God has layers that all move us to looking more intently upon Him and find how our own story intersects with those who have come before us.

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I Am From...

2/15/2016

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In my sermon where I introduced our theme for the year I read this poem I wrote below.  You can google "I am from poem by George Ella Lyon" and see her original poem.  I attended a conference in Chicago and was challenged to write one for myself.  I believe it helps to tell our story in different medium.  Here is how it was described to me on how to write this poem.  Take a piece of paper and fold into quadrants.  In one quadrant write down all the things you remember about your childhood home (physical things).  In another quadrant write things you remember hearing or certain phrases or significant words and phrases.  In another quadrant write names of people, different qualities about them, and those that were important to you..  In another quadrant write down holiday memories, traditions, foods, decor.  Hope you enjoy my poem below and write your own.

I Am From

Michael Matthew Mercer
(Inspired by George Ella Lyon I Am From Poem)
 
I am from a clean house with a Big TV and an alligator skin on the wall
I am from all white furniture, brown paneling walls
I am from a big living room with a small kitchen and my own bedroom
 
I am from big laughter and loud talking and hushed nights
I am from tough rules and countless chores
I am from careful planning and lasting routines
I am from “GAH, LEE!” and “STOP THAT WHISTLING!”
I am from hugs and handshakes, encouraging words and pats on the back
I am from great expectations and roomy grace
 
I am from TV dinners and hamburger helper
I am from steak and potatoes, KFC chicken, A&A barbecue, and El Zarape Tex Mex
I am from banana pudding, Watergate salad, and homemade fudge
I am from mom burning the grilled cheese, Wyatt shutting off the smoke alarm, and Walde shaking his head
 
I am from big Christmas trees with memorable ornaments
I am from traveling to Memaw’s for Thanksgiving
I am from Grandma Schiurring’s Easter extravaganzas
I am from outside play and inside study
I am from westerns on TV and quiet conversations after 8pm
I am from work on Saturday
I am from church on Sunday, Sunday evening, and Wednesday night
 
I am from photo books, memories shared, and family legends
That I continue to pass down to my own.
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Ethos

2/11/2016

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Ethos is an appeal to ethics, and it is a means of convincing someone of the character or credibility of the persuader.

​This goes along with my word, Character, for the year.  We talked about Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in undergrad and graduate school a lot.  I am really aware of it every Sunday.  Ethos is whether or not people will trust what I'm saying, Pathos how people feel about what I'm saying, and Logos is whether what is being said is making any logical sense.  I can't say that any preacher knocks all three out of the park every Sunday.  I know I don't.  The ethos of a preacher is truly important.  You listen to him or her and wonder if they studied throughout the week, what kind of sources did she use, are those his words and thoughts or someone else's, and do they follow their own words.  That last one is a tightrope.  I know sometimes people feel that certain preachers preach their topic to really speak to one or a certain group of individuals that are dealing with that particular issue.  I don't know about others, but I can say that I try my hardest to preach the text and land the application of that text at my own feet first, then the congregation, then the world.  But, alas, I will sometimes fail to truly live out my own words and sometimes those that love me most remind me of things I have said and help direct me to the path I preached.  


I love preaching and studying God's word.  It is a daunting task to say the least, that I have take lightly.  I take my actions in social, community, and church settings seriously and try to keep my character everywhere I go.  Driving may be my greatest weakness in this area! Ha!  

I pray that I can preach with great integrity and treat people with the same respect I desire.

Here's to a strong ethos in 2016 and beyond.

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God of Wonders

2/10/2016

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To go  along with my Origins Series...
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Epic

2/4/2016

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Since 2013 the church I pastor chooses a theme (focus) for the year.  The first 3 years we covered the vision of our church.  2013 -Illuminate:  Shining the Light of Christ by Serving Others.  2014 -Elevate:  The Pursuit of God.  2015 -Resonate:  Relate, Connect, Love through the Spirit.  And this year is:

Epic: The Story of God and His People

I'm excited about this theme.  In my sermon series I intend to tell some of the great stories in scripture while telling the overarching story of God through it all.  I have said for many years now that God is the hero of the story.  And so our Hero in this Epic year will be God.  We do, however, play a part in the story.  God uses ordinary folks and makes them heroes that further His ultimate mission.

My hope is that as we develop this theme throughout the year we ourselves will tell a better story.  Christians don't really have a good story out there right now.  However, they have in their grasp the greatest story ever told.  All we have to do is realize the real story of our faith and begin to change the narrative.

If you live in Conway and are looking for a place to worship come join our story.  We meet on Sundays at 10am.  If you have another place to worship or live in another town, I pray that you too will think about your story and how it can be lived to its fullest for the glory of God.

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    Michael Mercer

    I like to explore different things about theology and the life of the church.  You might also find things here about me and my family.

    Prayer Requests: 

    mercerprays@gmail.com

    God Is... by Michael Mercer

    Available in Paperback and ebook!

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    God Is... -God is... is a book that takes a look at Genesis and portrays six true images of God.  There are many ways we think about God that are unhealthy and even destructive.  These six images help turn our attention to who God really is and how we might follow him more closely.  Click the Lulu button below to download your copy!

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